RN

The desire to succeed in anything – whether it’s losing 10 lbs or growing a CLNC^® business – is important to success. After all, every success story begins with a dream, desire or vision. But even more important than the dream is the will to prepare to succeed.

After 30 years of owning my own business, I sometimes think back to how easy visualizing legal nurse consulting was in contrast to executing on my idea, day after day.

The vision truly is the easy part for most of us. That’s often where the fun is – dreaming the dream and fleshing out the vision in your mind. Then come the late nights, early mornings and working weekends, getting your hands dirty with the details. That’s when the casually engaged fall slack while the tenaciously persistent grab the prize and run.

The will to prepare is what commits you to go for legal nurse consulting all the way and to engage the myriad actions necessary to succeed – especially on those days you’re just not that into it.

If you’re reading this blog, I already know that you have a strong desire to succeed in your CLNC^® business even more than you already have.

The question I have for you is what did you do today to prepare for your next level of CLNC^® success? I’m just asking…

Success Is Inside!

While visiting temples on my biking trip in Japan, I learned about the Japanese concept of “ikigai.” A loose translation is “your reason for being.” I like to think of it as the reason you get out of bed in the morning, your passion and purpose in life.

The Japanese believe that everyone has an ikigai, although not everyone discovers hers. I’ve mentored some nurses who tell me they knew their ikigai when they were just children, while others tell me they still haven’t discovered it. For some, finding your ikigai can require a deep search of your inner self – a journey of sorts. For others, finding your ikigai comes naturally. For example, my idea of play as a little girl was teaching an imaginary class after coming in from playing football with my brother, Vince. Not only did I need to recover from the battering I received, teaching was my true passion. It’s no accident that my mission today “Revolutionizing nursing careers, one RN at a time” includes teaching.

Knowing your ikigai also has health benefits. Studies have shown that people who know their ikigai are less susceptible to cardiac disease and live longer than those who do not know their purpose.

When you ask yourself “What’s my ikigai?” – don’t give the easy answer “I’m an ICU nurse,” or “I’m Italian,” or “I’m a mother of two,” or “I’m the CEO of a legal nurse consulting company.” Instead think of what gets you out of bed and whether your reaction when you do is “Woo-Hoo!” or “Ho-hum.”

Consider the words of two of the greatest thinkers of their generation (at least as captured by A.A. Milne): “When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.

Today, take the time to ask yourself why you get out of bed. The answer may surprise you and I hope that much as I love Pooh, it’s something you personally find more exciting and nurturing than breakfast.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share your ikigai and how you discovered it.

Any experienced skydiver will tell you that if you’ve got a malfunctioning main canopy you’ll have to “cut the cord,” releasing that chute to go to your reserve chute. Skydiving is life or death and you’ve got seconds to make your choice.

In our Certified Legal Nurse Consulting businesses we’ll sometimes encounter a “cut the cord” moment. It might be a subcontractor who’s draining our energy and not working out or an attorney-client who wants the Ferrari on a Prius budget (LOL). When that happens, you owe it to yourself, and yes even to the other party, to sever the relationship. It’s usually not entirely one-sided – the other party should also be perceptive enough to know things aren’t working out. The more you prolong it the more difficult it becomes and the more time you invest. Arghh! By making the decision you’re actually doing everybody involved a favor and allowing everyone to move on.

Take a moment today and ask yourself, is there a particular cord that needs to be cut? If so, what are you waiting for? It might not be a life-or-death decision, but everybody’s life will rapidly improve once you finally cut the cord.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share what cords you need to cut today.

In mentoring Certified Legal Nurse Consultants I’ve learned to judge someone’s resistance to an idea by the amount of time they spend talking about it before implementing it. The talking is reflective of the resistance. I’ll hear why it won’t work, why it’s so difficult or why someone else should be doing it. Depending upon how far-reaching the idea is, we’ll sometimes spend more time talking about something than just doing it.

When this happens I’ll say it’s time for “less yack and more sack” and we’ll have a good laugh – then get to work. If you find yourself spending more time in the yack than in the sack, put yourself on a yack timer and when that timer has run out – get to work!

Success Is Inside!

I choose not to engage in stinking thinking. Thoughts like “I can’t do this…I can’t do that…I wish I could but I can’t” never enter my mind nor do I say them. Positive thoughts and spoken words attract positive happenings in my life and in my CLNC^® business, while negative thoughts and spoken words attract negative happenings in your life. I also choose not to listen to dream squashers – you know who they are – individuals who tell you that your ideas or goals are no good and that you are not going to succeed. “Dream squashers be gone” is my motto and it has served me well in my legal nurse consulting business.

I choose not to use nurses who are not CLNC^® consultants as subcontractors. A group that sings from the same page (same training) is strong and harmonious. As Certified Legal Nurse Consultants we were trained by the best (Vickie) so why look elsewhere for CLNC^® subcontractors?

I choose not to get in a rut in my CLNC^® business as I try new things along the way. Perhaps a new way of marketing my CLNC^® business is in order or overdue. Perhaps locating expert witnesses as part of my CLNC^® services to attorney-clients or revamping my newsletter makes sense at this time. Whatever it is, not becoming stagnant is important to me and my business. Other business owners might not look at things differently or take the time to step back and reflect on where they want to take their businesses, but not me. Even if you have setbacks along the way remember, Thomas Edison tried 10,000 ways to make his light bulb light before he hit the jackpot. When he was asked how it felt to fail 10,000 times, Edison replied that he did not fail 10,000 times, but rather found 10,000 ways in which his light bulb would not light. My vote is for the Edison way of looking at things. How do you go about looking at things in your life and in your CLNC^® business?

Guest Blogger Profile

Lawrence H. Frace, RN, CLNC is an independent CLNC^® consultant with more than 30 years of nursing experience. He is the founder of Spectrum Medical-Legal Consulting in central New Jersey and specializes in medical malpractice cases.
 

Margaret Gallagher, RN, BSN, MSN, CLNC shares how carefully going through the medical record and the autopsy report with the attention that only a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant can bring to it has made a huge difference for the defendant nurses in a case.

View Margaret’s video and learn how her CLNC^® services helped result in a favorable defense verdict and many, many more cases from an insurance defense firm.

Congratulations Margaret!

Success Is Inside!

Lorraine Perrit, RN, MSN, OCN, CLNC shares how she became involved as a CLNC^® consultant in class action litigation against the tobacco industry through her involvement on a case with an attorney. These tobacco cases are now taking up most of her time as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant.  Take a moment to view Lorraine’s CLNC^® Success Story and the benefits she has since enjoyed!

Congratulations Lorraine!

Success Is Inside!

Read Part 2.

As Anne Koepsell, Certified Legal Nurse Consultant says “the phrase ‘working from home’ creates images of total freedom from structure and time commitments. And that is the challenge – there is no structure, no office hours, no peers to watch what you are doing and how you spend your time. Those of us who have worked at home rarely want to trade it for a structured job or office setting. But successfully working from home requires the right attention and intention.” I asked 16 CLNC^® Pros to share their best practices for working from home, guaranteed to deliver the attention, intention and effectiveness to succeed.

Set Regular Office Hours and Stick to Your Schedule

1. Whether it’s laundry or lunch out, there is potential for distractions, so it’s in your best interest to establish regular business hours. Your schedule may vary from day to day and week to week, but have a written goal for start and end times and how many billable hours you want to achieve each week.

“I do as much as possible between 9:00am-3:00pm while my husband is at work and my children are at school. No interruptions, no questions, no needs. This is the best time for me to work. If I have to work at night, I make time for my family and for dinner. Once I’ve taken care of them I can do what I need to do in my office with a clear head.”

Nikki Chuml, RN, C, CCE, FMC, CLNC

2. Include regular lunch hours and days off in your schedule.
3. Communicate your office hours to your family. This reminds them that you are not available every second of the day.

“On a weekly basis I make certain that my household is aware of what commitments and expectations I have involving my CLNC^® business. I accomplish this with a few simple steps including a calendar posted in my home office, an Outlook^® calendar that is shared with my husband’s email accounts, and syncing my calendar on my smart phone with my husband’s phone using our MobileMe account. When my spouse is aware of my work load and commitments in advance, he can work with me to successfully keep my CLNC^® business and my family and home environment in balance! This also allows me to stay organized and use my time wisely.”

Julie Somen-Becker, RN, BSN, CLNC

“When I left the hospital and was no longer sleeping during the day, my family thought they hit the jackpot – I was home all the time (not sleeping) and I had so much free time. I needed time to adjust to this new lifestyle. There were a lot of potential distractions, especially with three kids and a husband. In the beginning, I found that creating a calendar for myself and scheduling office time worked for all of us. I posted a big calendar on the refrigerator and wrote in everyone’s appointments and schedules including my own. When I did this, they all knew that from 1:00-4:00pm on Tuesdays I was working and not available for any errands, homework or laundry. This tactic helped make me accountable and it worked.”

Dorene Goldstein RNC, CLNC

4. You might have to walk past the dirty laundry to get your office. Just imagine you are working in someone else’s office until you develop the discipline needed to ignore that laundry. Would you report to the office late to do laundry? Would you watch TV, play Farmville, shop or run errands in the middle of the day? Do whatever it takes to get into “work mode.” Close your office door, don’t answer your home phone and designate a time to handle personal tasks.

“Just as my multiple professional duties and many personal interests create an exciting and ever-changing lifestyle, they can often conflict. In a home-based office setting, home ownership and family responsibilities can infringe on your CLNC^® business unless a clear delineation is established. For me, it is imperative to do whatever it takes to simulate ‘going to work’ in a home office. On days when I work in my home office, I get dressed for ‘work,’ put a do not disturb sign on my door and answer only my office phone. I resist the urge to do household chores but allow myself the luxury of slippers. Through trial and error I have found what works for me.”

Debra Good-Zeiner, RN, BSN, CLNC

“Drawbacks to working at home include that the neighbors tend to forget you are ‘at work’ when they see your car in the driveway and bang on the door or call (because they just know you are in there)! For awhile, my brother-in-law had a habit of dialing every separate phone line we have until I finally gave in and answered one. This happened pretty much any time he had a medical question that demanded (in his opinion), an immediate answer. The fact that I was ‘at work’ didn’t seem to be as important to him as his problem. We had a neighbor on sabbatical who kept knocking on our front door to chat or borrow things during my CLNC^® business hours. We had a house guest for a few weeks. She would tap on my office door several times each day and say, ‘Sorry to bother you, but…’ Another drawback was my initial urge to work in my bathrobe or in sloppy clothes. I took more breaks when I did that and got less done.

Because of those and other experiences, I learned to do certain things differently. Whenever I was busy, I’d tape a laminated note to the door for the house guest, that said, ‘At work. Please do not disturb unless house is on fire.’ For my brother-in-law, I finally asked him to leave one message and I would call back after business hours, but not before. I put another sign on the front door that said, ‘At work. Please come back after 5:00pm.’ Our neighbor on sabbatical has our house key for emergencies (we also have theirs for the same reason). I asked him to just use his house key to borrow whatever he needed and lock up behind himself whenever he saw the sign on the door. The only people who have ever been given my office phone number are my clients, my accountant and my husband. With respect to dressing for work, I have learned to wear nice casual clothes to the office, and of course do my hair and make-up, so I am always ready to drop in on one of my clients. Of course, for our administrative law judge hearings, I step it up to the clothes suitable for a courtroom.”

Camy Joyner, RN, CCM, CLNC

Manage Your Time to Save Money and Your Sanity

5. Create a weekly schedule based on your business plan. Allow flexibility for unforeseen changes. Keep your plan visible at all times. Schedule time for working on strategic goals.
6. Power out for 50 minute increments to enhance your productivity. Evaluate your use of time often to see where you can gain efficiencies if you are not meeting your billable hours goal.
7. Reviewing medical records, researching and writing detailed reports require intense concentration. Take a 10-minute break every hour to walk away from the project and watch your productivity soar.
8. Structure your routine to take advantage of your peak performance times. You can finish big projects and those that require intense focus in half the time when you do them during your most creative and productive time.
9. Save administrative tasks such as correspondence, returning phone calls, checking email and easy projects that don’t require your full attention for your non-peak times and break periods.
10. Keep a running shopping list of office and marketing supplies so you can easily see when supplies are low. You never want to run out of paper.
11. Plan your out-of-office time. In the beginning it’s easy to take a quick trip to the post office or office supply store on a whim. As you become busier, these trips will zap your focus and take time away from productive (billable) activities. Shop online when possible and group errands and appointments for efficiency.

Success Is Inside!

I recently saw Cirque du Soleil’s show Ovo. They do everything so well – costumes, acrobatics, acts, clowns and music. I always come away awed at their creativity. In Ovo the aerial acrobatics surpassed anything I’ve ever seen.

The act is the biggest of its kind that Cirque du Soleil has ever done and the distances the performers cover are some of the most difficult in the world. It opens with three very muscular, costumed men standing on a center platform suspended high in the air near the middle top of their “Grand Chapiteau” tent. On opposite sides of the middle platform, and equally high, there were more platforms, each of which held three additional men for a total of nine. Hanging beneath each of the side platforms was a metal swing onto which one of the very muscular men quickly climbed down and began swinging back and forth.

All of this is taking place much higher in the air than I’d ever willingly climb. In fact, to get to these platforms the men had to go up small rope ladders that twisted and turned as they climbed. That climb alone would have scared me half to death!

The act quickly continued with the men on the swings being joined by another, slightly smaller but still muscular (I notice these things) man. The bigger man started swinging harder and harder to the point that it seemed the swing was about to go all the way around. At the apogee of the frontward movement, the smaller man suddenly leapt into the air, sailing toward the men on the center platform. He twisted in the air like a high diver completing at least one twisting somersault, landing feet-first in a basket formed by the interlinked hands of two of the men waiting there for him.

The man on the swing would build his momentum again, this time hanging upside down from the swing by his ankles and, just before he reached the closest point in his arc to the platform, the flying man would leap (with a boost from the “catchers”) out into space and catch the hands of the man on the swing. I held my breath with each leap of faith.

Soon, four flying men were taking turns launching themselves into space and landing on that tiny center platform. The audience would hold their breath while the men were in the air and after each accomplishment we’d cheer and clap at their daring.

The acrobats seemed to take this as a stimulus to challenge each other to attempt more and more daring feats of twisting, turning aerial acrobatics. The combination of strength, physical ability, control over their bodies, derring-do and apparent lack of fear was mind boggling and I was clapping and cheering just a loudly as everyone else.

Suddenly, one of the acrobats mistimed his jump and missed the outstretched hands of the man on the swing by what must have been only inches. We all gasped as he fell into the safety net far below. He landed, leaped up (just like a guy) and was climbing back up the rope ladder as quickly as he could.

As he climbed, the audience erupted into louder shouts and cheers, not just for the audacity of what he attempted, but for the fact that he went right back up to do it again.

In your legal nurse consulting business, are you celebrating or cheering only your successes? Or, do you take the time to celebrate going for what you want, regardless of the outcome? In business, sports and acrobatics there is no 100% success rate, no guarantee that each time you’ll meet with perfect results.

I’m always one for celebrating and remembering encores of past successes. Likewise, it’s important to reward yourself for trying something daring like speaking at a legal conference, or even less than daring like making cold-calls to attorney-prospects or offering a new CLNC^® service to an existing attorney-client.

If you only celebrate success, you’ll certainly have plenty of rewards, but remember to also acknowledge your failures because without attempts you’ll never have successes. Get out today and take your best shot. If you step out to fly and instead tumble to the ground, celebrate anyway!

The more you celebrate the unsuccessful attempts, the more you are wired for stepping out without reservation. You have to step out before you can fly high as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Celebrate stepping out today and every day.

Success Is Inside!

This morning I was at the gym working out with my trainer Jerome. A woman ten years older than I am works out at the same gym and literally throws herself into her routine with an intensity that would put women half her age to shame. She determinedly works out with a serious-looking routine of core exercises built around a stability ball, a floor mat and lots of dumbbells. She’s disciplined, dedicated and hard-working but she’s not getting any discernable results. Why? Because her form is off. She flails around like a fish out of water, moving her arms and legs in a manner that’s almost spastic and looks like she’s just been hit by a Taser^®. When she’s working out, we all give her a wide berth because we never know in which direction she’ll suddenly lurch or move.

Jerome is almost a form-fascist. Fortunately he never saw my form when I was working out with my previous trainer – he might have rejected me outright. When I move a weight, no matter how heavy or light, he chants a mantra of “shoulder blades, abs, glutes, adductors” or whatever muscles or body parts I’m supposed to be engaging for stabilization, strength and form. He constantly teaches me how to exercise my muscles correctly. Jerome’s philosophy is that the workout is not how much weight I’m moving or how fast I’m moving it – it’s about doing it with correct form.

You can apply these same principles to your legal nurse consulting business. We all know someone who works hard or long hours but doesn’t seem to accomplish much. Working hard or long are not always predictors of the quality or quantity of your output. Correct form reaps astonishing productivity.

To achieve the form that will provide the results you want, you must practice good work habits. The old saying about working smarter not harder was never more aptly demonstrated than by the woman at my gym. She is working hard without paying attention to those “smart” details that could give her the results she wants.

Are you doing the same in your CLNC^® business? Are you following up with attorney-prospects or letting them fall into a black hole? Are you reviewing your cases with an eye to only important deviations or going down rabbit trails in your analysis? Vince Lombardi said “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” Now more than ever it’s time to put that principle to work (perfectly).

One benefit you’ll find with correct form is that you’ll get more done in less time. Then you’ll have that extra time with your friends, family or yourself that you left the hospital to find.

Success Is Inside!